Luiz Firmino: 'Everyone will be talking about me this year' after WSOF 10

Luiz Firmino has some solid names under the win column on his resume. Tonight, he’d like to add another one on the way to his biggest career goal.

Firmino (17-6) brings a four-fight winning streak into his WSOF 10 fight against 14-fight UFC veteran Tyson Griffin (16-7). Included in there are wins over Jacob Volkmann, Luis Palomino and Toby Imada.

But a win over Griffin might be his biggest feat to date, and one the Brazilian knows may take being well-rounded to accomplish.

“I think he’s extremely tough,” Firmino told MMAjunkie. “He’s great everywhere. I am confident it will be a great fight. I’m ready for whatever comes – wrestling, jiu-jitsu or striking.”

WSOF 10 takes place at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The main card airs on NBC Sports Network following prelims that stream on MMAjunkie. Firmino’s fight against Griffin takes place on the main card.

The 32-year-old Firmino, who has been fighting professionally for more than 14 years, has fought for PRIDE, Shooto, DREAM, and now WSOF. And that’s all well and good.

But Firmino still has a goal left to reach.

“I am very happy, but I have many more challenges to conquer yet,” he said. “I have a great dream, which is to go to the UFC. So I’m working hard, training like never before, and in the best condition of my life. Without a doubt, I’ll get there.”

His path to that dream continues against Griffin, who it could be argued has faced superior competition to Firmino over the course of their careers.

But as Firmino has progressed in the sport, so, too, have his skills. In the time since a rough patch of three losses in four fights – to the legendary Tatsuya Kawajiri and fellow UFC vets Francisco Trinaldo and John Alessio – Firmino believes his game has grown.

“Without a doubt, I’m a much better fighter,” he said. “I’ve been working hard on improving my standup skills and wrestling here in America, mostly my standup. I’m always evolving. And I aim to keep doing so. Ultimately, I am a strong wrestler and jiu-jitsu practitioner. That’s why I’ve been concentrating on my striking. But I’ve always been able to mix martial arts effectively, transitioning from standing to the ground, back and forth, which is what younger fighters are doing now, too.”

And while at 32, Firmino isn’t a young fighter, he also doesn’t put himself in the “old” category, either. He believes he may be just hitting his prime, and he’s ready to prove it against Griffin.

Fighting for the first time in 2014 after his win over Volkmann this past October, Firmino believes his WSOF debut is one that could put him on the map with a much larger audience.

“I’m living my dream, fighting the best fighters in the world,” he said. “I’m only getting better. You can be sure that everyone will be talking about me this year.”

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